Passionate Worship

A pretty exciting sports milestone has just passed for another year. Both the men's and women's NCAA college basketball tournaments are over now. How electrifying is the atmosphere around college basketball. Everybody's dressed for the occasion. The bands are playing all the specific songs of their university.The crowd is decked out in the respective school colors. Every person involved from the officials to the time keeper knows this is a special night. It's the final! The price for a ticket to this event is astounding. The teams take the court and the crowd about blows out the decibel meter. The enthusiasm is contagious. From the first tip until the final buzzer the adrenaline is sky high.

I've always been pretty passionate when it came to sports. Growing up in a small town, our school sports were very important. We loved the late night pep club bus trips following the boy's bus to cheer them on wherever they went. Home games meant extra work where we sold home-made carmeled apples and cans of pop. So passionate we were in the middle of the night swiping apples from local apple trees so we could make a better profit on sales. (Ok, I'm sure we repented.) After all, the money was going for our prom and senior trip! We screamed and yelled for our team. The dads in the crowd could be heard booming across the gym helping correct the referee calls. Occasionally, the basketball coach had to ask the dads to bring their passion down a notch regarding the referee calls. Such unity of heart for our school was expressed as parents and students alike wore kelly green. I think my letter sweater is still hanging in my closet. I can still sing our alma mater. (I don't have any other kelly green clothing - not in my color palette."

Imagine taking that passion to church. Why not? Too irreverent? Can anyone see to Whose team you belong? (I'm not thinking of letter sweaters here.)

Consider Psalm 100:4 - "Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name."

Here's a literal look at that verse. "Enter His gates with hands thrown high in thanks. Go on in throughout His courts singing the alma mater - Our God reigns! So overwhelmed by the song of praise, plan on prostrating yourself in humble worship."

How's that for worship? There were many times when the OT worshippers experienced these very things as they celebrated their God. These were Hebrew people; they were passionate people. I think Peter probably understood. Come to think of it, maybe those years of expressing my passion expanded my capacity to know and experience worship!

Father, I love to shout and cheer for my favorite sports team. I don't think You get upset with my passion. I would be amiss if i didn't give You that same passionate affection. I sense Your nudge - not of condemnation, but of drawing me closer to You. How I would love to experience those times of Your strong Presence falling on me and those with whom I worship. Remind me again of my capacity for worship.  Keep drawing me . . .